The Dark Streaks splitting the Mars surface are the Result of a Huge Avalanche of Dust
The continuous surveillance of NASA brings about a new development every few days
The interest of people in Mars is increasing day by day. A major reason for this is that scientists are persistent that human life might survive on the Red planet. Following this claim, a lot of effort is being put in to observe the changes on this planet. This ensures that the curiosity about Mars is right up there. Recently, an eerie image of Martian surface was released. Some people, who have got quite a lot of knowledge in this field, described it as another mystery that will require a lot of hard work. They also showed their confidence in the renowned researchers by saying that they will be able to decipher the scientific logic behind it.
This image was posted on the official website of NASA and was captioned as “Splitting Slope Streaks”. This photo was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). There are bizarre dark features on the light-colored surface of the planet. They are branching out in streaks. The official statement of NASA is that the streaks are forming on the Martian surface when dust happens to cascade downhill. The reason given for these patterns is the occurrence of dust avalanches on this planet. There is a noticeable streak about which the scientists believe that it has lesser dust than the surroundings. However, the cause of the avalanches is still unknown. NASA explains this in the following words.
“The dark streak is an area of less dust compared to the brighter and reddish surroundings. What triggers these avalanches is not known but might be related to the sudden warming of the surface. These streaks are often diverted by the terrain they flow down. This one has split into many smaller streaks where it encountered minor obstacles. These streaks fade away over decades as more dust slowly settles out of the Martian sky.”
These streaks are commonly known as ‘Dark Slope Streak’. They are usually formed in steep terrain along escarpments and crater walls. They were recognized for the first time in the 1970s but their detailed study was not possible at that time due to the lack of technology. Higher resolution cameras were used in Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and MRO and they provided clearer pictures to verify the existence of these streaks. These features are called albedo as the viewer gets an impression that there is a difference of brightness between the streak and the background.
Historically, it has been NASA’s priority to share anything and everything related to Mars. Having said that, most of the work that is published is either related to water or alien life. This marks the first real effort that is being done to examine the surface of the planet. This will help scientists to know more about the ways of how Mars operates. Despite all the work that is being done to find water on the red planet, researchers have had no luck. Humans did know that water was present on Mars once and that is a pretty handy lead to progress forward. In 2013, it was discovered that Martian water is fit for human consumption if we can manage to flow it somehow. This useful information was provided by the Curiosity Rover.
Scientists believe that these streaks can fade away over a period of time as more and more dust settles in them. Mars has got a plenty more amazing features to amaze us other than these streaks. An image was tweeted through Curiosity Rover’s account that showed unusual formations on the face of a Martian rock. They were very strange-looking figures and were approximately quarter of an inch long. According to a theory proposed by the agency, they could be minerals or crystals that are left behind while the rest of it dissolved. There is no scientific proof to support this claim as of now but another tweet came out in this regard from the same Tweeter account which said,
“Meanwhile, back on Mars…, I’m checking out these stick-like figures. Each is about a quarter-inch long. Maybe they’re crystals? Or they could be minerals that filled spaces where crystals dissolved away. Stay tuned! Science continues.”
Computer Scientist by qualification who loves to read, write, eat, and travel